Last week, a new trampoline park opened in Northern Virginia and being the fun-loving, stir-crazy, sick-of-winter family that we are, we couldn’t wait to check it out. Lucky for us, we had a free day due to parent-teacher conferences, so we headed over to check it out on Friday afternoon, while Fairfax County was still in school.

Flight Trampoline Park is the second trampoline park to open in Northern Virginia and I was very curious to see how it stacked up to the competition (see my review of RebounderZ). Read on to find out what we thought of Flight.

The Process

You can either book your jump time in advance, or show up as a walk-in and pay to play. The venue has a 200 person capacity and as they become more popular, I can see a need to pre-book, but in this early phase, at an off peak time, this wasn’t necessary.

It is important to note that jump sessions begin on the hour and the half hour, so if you plan to jump at say, 1pm, make sure you arrive BEFORE your jump time so you don’t waste time standing in line. You’ll be given a sticker to wear with your jump times marked on it.

Waivers are a must and can be filled out online in advance (recommended). If you do not fill it out in advance, you will need to do so at a kiosk. Waivers remain on file for one year.

Note: even non-paying, non-jumping spectators must fill out a waiver to be in the tramp area.

Prices

Prices are posted on the Flight website. Basically they are as follows:

$11 for 30 minutes
$15 for 1 hour
$25 for 2 hours

There are discounts for children under 46″ and under 2 years old, as well as other promotional offers. Flight’s street prices are slightly cheaper than their competition’s.

We signed on for two hours, although I was sure we’d never last that long.

Gear

Flight does not use any specialty footwear or helmets. Jumpers jump barefoot, or can purchase special “Flight Socks” for $3.50, which are basically socks with grippy tread on the bottom.

You can also rent a “Bounce Board” or “Ski Board” for $5.

After checking in, we were told to go on and in and have a good time. I was expecting a safety spiel similar to other biz in town, but that was not the case. We free to bounce!

There is signage posted explaining the rules, and there are court monitors on hand to supervise the jump areas.

The rules are basically common sense things like: don’t land on your head or neck (duh), no lieing down, no running or rough play. While jumpers are not explicitly prohibited from being on the same tramp, the rules state “do not affect another jumper’s bounce in any way”.

The last rule is the only one that gives me pause and it will be interesting to see how it is handled when they are truly busy. Things were pretty lax the day we were there as it was nearly empty and the staff was still getting the hang of things. For example, no one reprimanded me when I had a “seat war” with my kids, but I was very careful and I’m certain if I had double-bounced them aggressively or got them flying high, I would have been called out.

The Tramp Arena

Enough procedural business, let’s talk about the tramp arena.

Flight has over 13,000 square feet filled with all kinds of ways to jump. There are square pads and long rectangular pads — perfect for those gymnasts who like to do a million consecutive back handsprings. There are carpeted raised platforms to hang out on or jump down from (~2 feet, I’d guess). There are angled tramps that my kids used as slides. And that’s just the main jump area!

Click the picture below for an enlarged map of the arena.

Here’s some more pics and I apologize for the fuzzy nature; indoor lighting + action + iPhone = not great photo quality.

Main Jump Area

Take note of the suspended punching bag in the picture below.

Flight has a challenge: jump up and grab onto that bag. If you can hang on for 5 seconds, you win a free flight pass. We had a blast trying to grab the bag. I never got closer than touching the bottom of it but it was fun to try. Check out this Instagram clip of people trying (and failing) to grab the bag.

Dodge Ball Courts

There are two dodge ball courts — complete with balls, rules, and a monitor to maintain order.

We had a great time playing boys and against girls, kids against grown-ups and any other combination we could think of. The boys especially loved this area.

Basketball Hoops

This the place to perfect your slam dunk, I suppose (we didn’t spend a ton of time here).

Air Bag Pits

One the far side of the building, there are four lanes where you can jump and land in a pit. Instead of the typical foam pit, they use some kind of air bags under a mesh covering. It was weird — it was not quite as soft as a foam, I think, but softer than a moon bounce.

The middle lane has a “jumping bag” elevated in the middle; you can jump and try and grab it, but it was quite challenging. I couldn’t get close! The far right lane has an elevated platform to jump into the pit. This was popular with our crew.

Little Kids Jump Area

Moms of little ones will especially appreciate this kiddie corner. Only kids 46″ or less are allowed in this area, allowing them to bounce and play without fear of getting squashed by bigger bodies.

There is also a foam pit just for them in this corner.

In addition to the kids corner, Flight also offers special jump times just for the younger crowd. Monday through Friday, from 10-12pm the place is limited to just kids 46″ and under. It’s called “Kid Flight” and has special pricing. Parents can jump for free and the little ones have the run of the place. I would have loved this when mine were smaller, and I think many moms will appreciate this offering.

Worth Noting: the website states that little ones are not allowed on the main jumping area, unless you are there for Kid Flight. The day we went, the place was not crowded and this was not enforced. However, if this rule *is* enforced, it could make it challenging for caregivers to keep track of/interact with kids in two different areas.

Other Amenities

There is an area with free cubbies to stash your gear, as well as locker rentals. There are also vending machines, but there is no snack bar. Outside food is allowed, just not in the tramp area.

There are four party rooms, one downstairs and three upstairs. The Flight website has information about the Party Packages they offer. You can even do a slumber party overnight, which sounds pretty cool (and $$$$)!

Arcade / Upstairs

There is an upstairs area that will have an arcade, but it hadn’t been set up yet the day we visited.

I’m not sure what types of games will be installed, but I like that the arcade area is upstairs and not in the direct path of the kids. I’m sure my kids will find it and gravitate towards it when it is up in running, but having it upstairs makes it less of a focal point. Also, the manager told me the games would require tokens, but it would not be a “Chuck-E-Cheese” type set-up where games spit out tickets that can be redeemed for junky prizes.

This would count as a negative in my kids’ view but that is a positive in my book. If I’m paying money for my kids to jump, I want them to spend their time jumping, not throwing more money into games and focused on winning worthless prizes.

Special Events / Special Activities

Flight offers a variety of different events and activities to engage all kinds of folks. I already mentioned Kid Flight for the younger crowd, here are some of the other offerings:

Club Flight is for the 14+ crowd and happens on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9p-11pm. Pricing is the same as regular jump times, but they turn off the lights, turn on the lasers, and create a party atmosphere.

Family Flight Night is on Mondays from 6-9pm. It’s $35 for a family of 5 and $9 for additional jumpers. This makes it a really affordable outing so I expect we will be back for this!

Dodgeball — dodgeball is always available during the regular jump times but becomes a more organized activity when there is a crowd. There are plans to host tournaments and leagues, so keep an eye on their website for that info.

Flight Fit is an bootcamp style exercise program that they will be offering soon — it sounds like a great workout and will even include free child care!

Once a month, Flight offers a Special Needs Night where the park is only open to special needs families at a reduced rate. I think this is a wonderful service. Flight also offers Fundraising opportunities on certain nights.

Overall Impression

We had a great time and loved just about everything. The fact that there are so many different ways to play kept everybody engaged and nobody got bored. My boys loved playing dodgeball, my girl loved jumping off the “high dive” into the pit, and I had fun trying to grab that darn jumping bag in the middle. I truly never thought my kids would last the whole two hours, but we really did! We took short breaks and played at our own pace, but nobody got bored and asked to leave.

I know many people have safety concerns about trampoline parks, but I found everything well supervised and safe. Obviously, there is always potential for injury, but I think it’s important to know your own limits and take ownership of your own safety. The biggest safety concern would be crowding and someone crashing into you, but that was not an issue on the lightly attended day we were there, and competent supervision should keep that in check.

I will say a couple of my kids got minor rug burns on their ankles from sliding on the tramp mats. For that reason, I think Flight Socks might be a good idea, but it was nothing that would keep us from coming back.

Another tip — I’d recommend wearing slip-on shoes to the park. You’ll want easy shoes to throw on if you use the restroom or walk about out to the concrete lobby.

About the Bounce Boards — we tried one and the kids definitely thought it was cool, but it didn’t really hold their attention for long. Unless you have a kid who is a serious snow or skate boarder, it’s probably not worth the money. Here’s a short video clip of my boy (and a friend) using the bounce boards:

What Age?

A friend asked me if this is just a kids place or it would it be fun for adults. My answer is Absolutely! No Kids Required! Anyone at any age looking to enjoy some vigorous fun exercise will love this place. With graffiti art on the walls, it’s got a cool vibe, and doesn’t feel purely like a kid destination — although the majority of the clientele will definitely be under 18.

I think Flight would be a fun destination for any age group. I would definitely come without my kids, if they’d let me! I’d recommend it to anyone — I just can’t offer any promises on how sore you may or may not feel the next day!

This is a fairly expensive outing for our family of five, so it won’t be a frequent destination for us. However, I am already plotting a return trip and will probably come again on a Family Night.

Have you been yet? What are your impressions of Flight Trampoline Park?

Disclosure: we received free admission in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

7 Responses to Flight Trampoline Park (Springfield, VA)

One additional special offer is the Frequent Flyer: $100 gets ten hours of jumping. Note that these deals are for individuals, so you cannot purchase the Frequent Flyer deal and then split it up among family members. Still, it’s a significant savings over the regular prices.

I don’t see it on the website, either, but it is displayed on the monitors at check-in for Flight. Four two-hour trips ($25 each) and you could have had a bonus two-hour session using the FF deal ($100). I should have done this from the get-go.

This place sucks. The trampoline area is great but they don’t have much supervision at all. Even though there is a designated area for little kids, people of all ages and sizes are everywhere. If you are looking to have a bday party here. DON’T!!!! Compared to Rebounderz, this place is crap!!!! You get nothing for your money and it costs more then a party at Rebounderz. The staff and manager are rude as hell. If you are concerned with you children’s safety, don’t come here…it should be shut down!!! It probably will be, when someone gets hurt!